Isaiah 1

The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Hear, heavens,and listen, earth,for Yahweh has spoken:"I reared childrenand I brought them up,but they rebelled against me.An ox knows its ownerand a donkey the manger of its master.Israel does not know;my people do not understand.Ah, sinful nation,a people heavy with iniquity,offspring of evildoers,children who deal corruptly.They have forsaken Yahweh;they have despised the holy one of Israel.They are estranged and gone backward.Why do you want to be beaten again?You continue in rebellion.The whole of the head is sick,and the whole of the heart is faint.From the sole of the foot and up to the headthere is no health in it;bruise and sore and bleeding wound have not been cleansed,and they have not been bound upand not softened with the oil.Your country is desolate,your cities are burned with fire;As for your land, aliens are devouring it in your presence,and it is desolate, like devastation by foreigners.And the daughter of Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard,like a shelter in a cucumber field,like a city that is besieged.If Yahweh of hosts had not left us survivors,we would have been as few as Sodom,we would have become like Gomorrah.Hear the word of Yahweh, rulers of Sodom!Listen to the teaching of our God, people of Gomorrah!What is the abundance of your sacrifices to me? says Yahweh.I have had enough of burnt offerings of ramsand the fat of fattened animalsand I do not delight in the blood of bullsand ram-lambs and goats.When you come to appear before me,who asked for this from your hand:you trampling my courts?You must not continue to bring offerings of futility,incense—it is an abomination to me;new moon and Sabbath, the calling of a convocation—I cannot endure iniquity with solemn assembly.Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates;they have become to me like a burden,I am not able to bear them.And when you stretch out your hands,I will hide my eyes from you;even though you make many prayers,I will not be listening.Your hands are full of blood. Wash! Make yourselves clean!Remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes!Cease to do evil! Learn to do good!Seek justice! Rescue the oppressed!Defend the orphan! Plead for the widow!"Come now, and let us argue," says Yahweh."Even though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white like snow;even though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.If you are willing and you are obedient,you shall eat the good of the land.But if you refuse and you rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword.

For the mouth of Yahweh has spoken."

How has a faithful city become like a whore?Full of justice, righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.Your silver has become as dross;Your wine is diluted with waters.Your princes are rebelsand companions of thieves.Every one loves a bribeand runs after gifts.They do not defend the orphanand the legal dispute of the widow does not come before them.Therefore, the declaration of the Lord Yahweh of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel:"Ah, I will be relieved of my enemies,and I will avenge myself on my foes.And I will turn my hand against you;I will purify your dross like lye,and I will remove all of your tin.And I will restore your judges, as at the first,and your counselors, as at the beginning.After this you will be called the city of righteousness,faithful city.Zion will be redeemed by justice,and those of her who repent, by righteousness.But the destruction of rebels and sinners shall be together,and those who forsake Yahweh will perish.For you will be ashamed of the oaks in which you delighted,and you will be disgraced because of the gardens that you have chosen.For you shall be like an oak withering its leaves,and like a garden where there is no water for her.And the strong man shall become like tinder,and his work like a spark.And both of them shall burn together,and there is not one to quench them."

Isaiah 2

The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

And it shall happen in the future of the daysthe mountain of the house of Yahweh shall be established;it will be among the highest of the mountains,and it shall be raised from the hills.All of the nations shall travel to him;many peoples shall come.And they shall say,"Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh,to the house of the God of Jacob,and may he teach us part of his ways,and let us walk in his paths."For instruction shall go out from Zion,and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.He shall judge between the nationsand he shall arbitrate for many peoples.They shall beat their swords into ploughsharesand their spears into pruning hooks.A nation shall not lift up a sword against a nation,and they shall not learn war again.

House of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of Yahweh.For you have forsaken your people, house of Jacob,because they are full from the east,and of soothsayers like the Philistines,and they make alliances with the offspring of foreigners.And its land is filled with silver and gold,and there is no end to its treasures;and its land is filled with horses,and there is no end to its chariots.Its land is filled with idols;they bow down to the work of their hands,to what they made with their fingers.So humanity is humbled;everyone is humbled,and you must not forgive them.Enter into the rockand hide yourself in the dustfrom the presence of the terror of Yahwehand from the glory of his majesty.The haughty eyes of humanity will be brought low,and the pride of everyone will be humbled,and Yahweh alone will be exalted on that day.For there is a day for Yahweh of hostsagainst all of the proud and the loftyand against all that is lifted up and humble,and against all the lofty and lifted up cedars of Lebanon,and against all the large trees of Bashan,and against all the high mountains,and against all the lofty hills,and against every kind of high tower,and against every kind of fortified wall,and against all the ships of Tarshish,and against all the ships of desire.And the haughtiness of the people shall be humbled,and the pride of everyone shall be brought low,and Yahweh alone will be exalted on that day.And the idols shall pass away entirely,and they will enter into the caves of the rocksand into the holes of the groundfrom the presence of the terror of Yahwehand from the glory of his majestywhen he rises to terrify the earth.On that day humanity will throw away its idols of silverand its idols of gold,which they made for it to worship,to the rodents and to the bats—to enter into the crevices of the rocksand into the clefts of the cragsfrom the presence of the terror of Yahwehand from the glory of his majesty,when he rises to terrify the earth.Turn away from humanity,who has breath in its nostrils,for by what is it esteemed?

Isaiah 3

For look, the Lord Yahweh of hosts is removing every source of supportfrom Jerusalem and from Judah:all of the supplies of breadand all of the supplies of water,mighty warrior and man of war,judge and prophet,and diviner and elder,captain of fifty and the honorable men of rank,and counselor and skillful magicians and skillful enchanter.And I will make boys their princes,and children shall rule over them.And the people will be oppressed by each otherand a man by his neighbor.The boy will act arrogantly toward the elder,and the dishonorable toward the honorable.Indeed, a man will seize his brotherin the house of his father:"You have a cloak;you shall be a leader for us,and this heap of ruins shall be under your hand!"He will lift up his voice on that day, saying,"I will not be a healer;in my house there is no breadand there is no cloak.You shall not make me the leader of the people!"For Jerusalem has stumbled,and Judah has fallenbecause their speech and their deeds are against Yahweh,defying the eyes of his glory.The look on their faces testifies against themand they declare their sin like Sodom;they do not hide it.Woe to their soul!For they have dealt out evil to themselves.Tell the innocent that it is goodfor they shall eat the fruit of their deeds.Woe to the wicked! It is bad!For what is done by his hands will be done to him.My people—children are their oppressors,and women rule over them.My people, your leaders are misleading you,and they confuse the course of your paths.Yahweh takes his stand to conduct a legal caseand takes his stand to judge the peoples.Yahweh enters into judgment with the elders of his people and its princes."And you! You have devoured the vineyard;the spoil of the poor is in your houses!Why do you crush my peopleand grind the face of the poor?"

declares the Lord Yahweh of hosts.

And Yahweh said: "Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,and they walk with outstretched neck,and they give flirting glances with their eyes,mincing along as they go,and with their feet they rattle their bangles,the Lord will make the heads of the daughters of Zion scabby,and Yahweh will lay their foreheads bare."In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the ankletsand the headbands and the crescent necklaces,the pendants and the bracelets and the veils,the headdresses and the armlets and the sashes,and the perfume boxes and the amulets,the signet rings and the nose rings,the festal robes and the mantles,and the cloaks and the handbags,and the mirrors and the linen garments,and the turbans and the wraps.And this shall happen: There will bea stench instead of perfume,and a rope instead of a sash,and baldness instead of a well-set hairdo,and a clothing wrap of sackcloth instead of a rich robe,branding instead of beauty.Your men shall fall by the sword,and your warriors in battle.And her gates shall lament and mourn,and she shall be banished;she shall sit upon the ground.

Psalm 9

For the music director, according to Muth-labben. A psalm of David.

I will thank Yahweh with all my heart.I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.I will be glad and rejoice in you.I will sing the praise of your name, O Most High.When my enemies turn back,they will stumble and perish because of your presence.For you have maintained my just cause;you have sat on the throne judging correctly.You have rebuked the nations;you have destroyed the wicked.Their name you have blotted outforever and ever.The enemies are destroyed in ruins forever,and you have uprooted their cities;their very memory has perished.But Yahweh sits enthroned forever.He has established his throne for judgment.And he will judge the world with righteousness.He will judge the peoples with equity.And Yahweh will be a stronghold for the oppressed,a stronghold in times of distress.And those who know your name will trust in you,for you do not forsake those who seek you, O Yahweh.Sing praises to Yahweh who sits enthroned in Zion.Tell his deeds among the peoples,for he whoavenges bloodshed remembers them.He does not forget the distressed cry of the afflicted.Be gracious to me, O Yahweh.See my suffering from those who hate me,you who lift me up from the gates of death,so that I may tell of all your praises.In the gates of the daughter of Zionlet me rejoice in your salvation.The nations have fallen in the pit that they made;their foot is caught in the net that they hid.Yahweh has made himself known;he has executed judgment.The wicked is snared by the work of his hands. HiggaionSelahThe wicked shall turn back to Sheol,all the nations forgetting God,for the needy shall not always be forgotten;the hope of the poor shall never perish.Rise up, O Yahweh, let not humans prevail;let the nations be judged before you.O Yahweh, put them in fear.Let the nations know they are merely human. Selah

Matthew 22

And continuing, Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man—a king—who gave a wedding celebration for his son. And he sent his slaves to summon those who had been invited to the wedding celebration, and they did not want to come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding celebration!"’ But they paid no attention and went away—this one to his own field, that one to his business. And the others, seizing his slaves, mistreated them and killed them. And the king was angry and sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding celebration is ready, but those who had been invited were not worthy. Therefore, go out to the places where the roads exit the city and invite to the wedding celebration as many people as you find.’ And those slaves went out into the roads and gathered everyone whom they found, both evil and good, and the wedding celebration was filled with dinner guests. But when the king came in to see the dinner guests, he saw a man there not dressed in wedding clothes. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here, not having wedding clothes?’ But he could say nothing. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Tie him up hand and footand throw him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!’ For many are called but few are chosen."

Then the Pharisees went and consulted so that they could entrap him with a statement. And they sent their disciples to him with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and you do not care what anyone thinks, because you do not regard the opinion of people. Therefore tell us what you think. Is it permitted to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" But because he knew their maliciousness, Jesus said, "Hypocrites! Why are you testing me? Show me the coin for the tax!" So they brought him a denarius. And he said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to him, "Caesar’s." Then he said to them, "Therefore give to Caesar the things of Caesar, and to God the things of God!" And when they heard this, they were astonished, and they left him and went away.

On that day Sadducees—who say there is no resurrection—came up to him and asked him, saying, "Teacher, Moses said if someone dies without having children, his brother is to marry his wife and father descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers with us. And the first died after getting married, and because he did not have descendants, he left his wife to his brother. So also the second and the third, up to the seventh. And last of all the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her as wife." But Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God! For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, who said, "I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob"? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living!" And when the crowds heard this, they were amazed at his teaching.

Now when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled at the same place. And one of them, a legal expert, put a question to him to test him: "Teacher, which commandment is greatest in the law?" And he said to him, "‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."

Now while the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus asked them, saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "David’s." He said to them, "How then does David, by the Spirit, call him ‘Lord,’ saying,

‘The Lord said to my Lord,"Sit at my right handuntil I put your enemiesunder your feet"’?

If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how is he his son?" And no one was able to answer him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask him any more questions.